


Goodbye...

by TribalMoogle



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst and Feels, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2019-02-10 22:18:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12921375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TribalMoogle/pseuds/TribalMoogle
Summary: They boys have been on the road awhile. They all have someone they miss. Gladio gets a surprise from his someone...





	Goodbye...

On the road again with no end in sight. The days and nights blurred together with the endless running and fighting. They all needed a break, but it would be long before it would come. 

Their everyday on the road was much different from that back home. They’d even passed over birthdays without noticing. Well, almost…

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Simple brown paper tied with a humble piece of twine. One word on the front. _Gladio._ The object sits on the man’s spot in the back of the Regalia. He picks it up.

“What’s this?” He asks his companions gruffly.

“A present. What’s it look like?” Ignis chirps bitingly.

“You got me a present?” The big man looks thoroughly confused. Ignis was always one to keep tabs on everything, but a gift out here seems out of place.

“I was only instructed to give it to you on your birthday.”

Gladio’s eyes widen. If it wasn’t from Ignis it had to be from… He tears into the paper frantically, yet careful not to injur whatever contents lie inside. 

A book. His favorite. Classic edition with gold etching on the hard cover. Of course she’d pick out something like this. 

“A book?” Noctis’s incredulous question rouses Gladio from the thoughts swirling through his mind. 

“Yeah.” It’s all he can manage as he thinks of her.

“Now you’ll have something else to read as Iggy drives us around!” Prompto bemuses. “Oh, and happy birthday!”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“Everything in order?” Ignis chimes from the driver’s seat.

“Yup.” Noctis replies.

They take off. Gladio continues to paw at the book. Almost scared to see what’s inside. After a moment to ensure everyone else is preoccupied, he cautiously opens the cover. 

Her feathery writing dances in the corner.

_Though we may not always be together, you are always in my heart. I love you Gladio. Be safe. – Em_

His throat catches, luckily the wind blows it back. He traces the words delicately. He missed her so much. The hardest thing he had to do was leave her behind. They both knew it would happen eventually, but eventually came sooner than expected. 

He flips to the next page. More writing.

_I’ve taken the liberty of adding a few personal notes in the pages. Hopefully it won’t detract from the story that much!_

He can hear her coy giggle in the wind. He flips the next page. More notes.

_Greedy bastard! I’m not starting right away. You’ve gotta work for it first._

A tiny sketch of a figure sticking out it’s tongue sits at the end of the note. He smiles. She knew him better than anyone else. They had a long way until Lestallum, so he adjusted his position and settled in for a read.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next note came about two chapters in. It danced around the top heading and down the side.

_You’ve waited long enough… You’ve got a great heart. Your words may not always support that, but your intentions are always pure. Please hang on to that._

His brow furrowed. She wasn’t usually one for philosophical type musings, though she did start talking about deeper things shortly before he left. Perhaps it was her way of dealing with the heartache. 

“I’m only that way cuz of you…” He whispers softly to the road. 

He reads on. The next note comes another chapter in. 

_A kiss, for when I’m not there to ease your pain._

Delicate red lips emboss the corner of the page. Gladio places his thumb over it, imagining their warmth. Her words made the book even more of a joy to read. 

They finally arrived in Lestallum and hustled over to the Leville. Gladio was exhausted from the drive, but decided to read until the next note before calling it a night. 

_Strength comes in many forms. Whenever you feel like crumbling at the pressure, lean on those around you, and me. We’ll be your rock. You can’t conquer everything on your own._

He’d always been heavy on self reliance, especially when it came to bestowing that ideal onto Noctis. Yet it wasn’t until he read her words that he realized just how dependent they were on each other. On and off the battle field. They each had their own strengths and weaknesses, and they needed each other to balance out.

He also acknowledged how dependent he was on her for emotional support. As he lay down to sleep, thoughts of her in his arms after a particularly hard day filled his heart with warmth and his dreams with delight.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, a few simple errands took longer than expected and they managed to stay out well after dark. They found a campsite to rest for the night, which was all fine by Gladio. As dinner sat in their bellies, Gladio took the quiet time to make more progress in his book.

Everyone else was fast asleep, but Gladio continued to read by the firelight. After he got to the next note, he almost wished he would have stopped. 

_Gladio, I…_

That was it. Nothing else. Panic started to nibble at his heart. What could she have wanted to tell him but stopped herself? 

He didn’t bother reading the pages anymore, he thumbed through until he found her next entry. 

_I’m so sorry for having to do this this way, but I couldn’t face you in person. You would have fought me tooth and nail and sulked for our last days together, and I didn’t want that. What you gave me was spectacular, and I will always treasure that. But… I’m dying, Gladio._

His face went white. Dying? What? Was this some kind of twisted joke? Surely she couldn’t be that cruel. He flipped through to the next note. 

_I won’t be here when you get back from your trip. I’m so sorry. I would have loved to stay with you always, but the gods must have different plans. However, I always have and always will love you._

No. No! This has to be some kind of mistake. Why would she do this? How can this be happening? She didn’t deserve this. His fingers sped through to the next page with notes. There was only one left. It was simple and short. 

_Please promise me you’ll find a way to be happy._

Not without you! His mind screamed. There’s no happiness without you! He thumbed through the rest of the pages, but there were no more notes. He re-read all the previous ones to try and find answers. He got none. He was just more heartbroken and confused. 

The book fell from his hands and he noticed a small scribble at the bottom of a page. It was faint, almost illegible. He flipped a couple more pages and saw it again. On every page. Very faint. At the bottom. In the same place. Over, and over again.

_I love you._

Anger deeper than he’s ever felt burns inside his chest. How could she do this? How could she let him go without telling him? How could she tell him this way? 

Before he can stop himself, he throws the book on the ground and storms into the woods. He summons his great sword and hacks into a tree, felling it after two strikes. Birds scatter from the danger. 

He raises his sword again when he hears twigs snap behind him. He twirls to find Ignis calmly approaching. Gladio pants heavily and stabs his sword in the earth. Ignis pulls the book from behind his back.

“You dropped this.” Gladio’s eyes sting and he averts his gaze. He doesn’t want his friend to see him fall apart. Ignis sighs empathetically. “I’m sorry…”

Gladio looks to the spectacled man. How did he know what was going on? He was perceptive, but…

“I tried to convince her to tell you before we left, but she was adamant about doing things her way. She was always stubborn like that.” Ignis offers as much compassion as he can muster, knowing full well that this is more than his friend can take. 

“You knew? You knew and you didn’t tell me?” Gladio steps toward Ignis. Anger seething out of every step. Ignis holds his ground. 

“Yes. She instructed me not to say a word, but to be here when you found out.” He stares Gladio straight in the eyes, unsure of how to comfort him, but expecting it to be painful. 

Gladio hefts his fist into Ignis’s stomach, rocketing him to the ground. The tactician braces himself on his knees as he clutches his midsection. The book flies to the ground once more. 

“She was dying Ignis! And you kept your damn mouth shut when I could have done something about it!” He goes in for another punch but Ignis rolls and regains his footing.

“There was nothing you could have done Gladio. We saw every doctor and the diagnosis was the same. She wanted you to enjoy your last days together instead of trying to fight the inevitable.” 

Gladio goes to Ignis. He raises his fist. Ignis looks to the side, bracing for impact. It never comes. He turns his head back to see Gladio’s hand drop and the man collapse to his knees.

“She’s gone Iggy.” He softly whispers as the energy drains from him.

Ignis kneels down to his level. “I know Gladio. I’m so sorry.” He places a comforting hand on the man’s shoulder. Gladio continues to stare at the ground. 

“Was she scared?” Gladio asks quietly. Ignis’s grip tightens slightly.

“More for you, and what losing her would do to you. She was right to worry.” Gladio lifts his eyes slightly to glimpse Ignis, full of compassion.

“I’m a fuckin’ mess.” He slumps his head and shakes it side to side. 

“Aren’t we all.” Ignis pulls something out of his pocket. “I’ll leave you be, but there’s one last note she wanted you to have.” Gladio looks up and accepts the folded paper with shaking hands. “We’ll be back at camp when you’re ready.”

Ignis stands and slowly walks back to camp.

“Ignis…” Gladio hoarsely calls. Ignis stops and turns, eyebrow arched. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” He nods and continues on his way. Wiping a stray tear with the back of his hand.

Gladio stares at the paper in his hand. Torn between reading it and setting it ablaze. He chooses the former, and with a deep breath, unfolds the final note.

_Gladio. I’m so sorry it has to be this way. I wish we could be together forever, but it looks like the time we had will have to be enough._

_Please don’t be mad at Ignis. He wished so hard for me to tell you earlier, but I just couldn’t bear it. I won’t be there when you find out, but hopefully he will. Let him in. Don’t shut him out. You’ll need the strengths of others to get you through._

__

__

_You’re so strong for everyone, let them be strong for you. It won’t be easy. I’m sure it’ll suck more than you can imagine at times, but I’m right there with you. And if I find out you’ve been moping around when you should be out there helping your friends, I swear, I’m coming back to haunt your ass!_

_But honestly, thank you for everything. I wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you for sharing your love with me, and please, please continue to share that love with the world. You are, were, the light of my life, please be that for someone else. We need rays of light to help us overcome the darkness._

_I’m trying not to cry because you are literally asleep behind me right now. I’ll finish up. I love you. Take your time to grieve, but not too long. You’ve still got a long life ahead of you full of so much joy and happiness. I want you to find it. Don’t callous yourself and turn hard. Let people in. Give them a chance. You did with me, and look what we got out of it. You deserve happiness Gladio, so go out and find it._

_I’ll always love you._

_-Em_

Gladio turns his head to the sky. The stars twinkle back at him. Slow tears fall down his cheeks. He breathes in the crisp night air. Further away, Prompto’s infectious laughter wafts in from camp. A small smile tugs at the corner of his lips. 

“I’ll try… To be happy… For you.” A shooting star crosses the sky. “Love you too.” He whispers. 

He picks himself up, takes a step forward then stops. He picks up the book from the ground and dusts it off. He closes his eyes and sighs deeply. 

Rowdy noises come down from camp and Prompto and Noctis scuffle. The wind kicks up, pushing him towards his friends. “Alright, I get it. I’ll start now.” He smiles warmly and trudges back to camp.


End file.
